Who could ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Filipino singer be? Fans drop guesses in Disney’s teaser post

March 2, 2021 - 11:54 AM
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This composite shows an image Walt Disney's teaser photo for the singer of "Raya and The Last Dragon" and a still from the animated film. (Walt Disney Studios/ Facebook)

Walt Disney Studios on Monday uploaded a silhouette of “one of the Philippines’ most powerful voices,” as it announced that there would be a Filipino-language song for its upcoming movie, “Raya and The Last Dragon.”

The major film studio said that Filipinos will get to know the “mystery” singer on Tuesday.

In the meantime, they peppered the comments section of the post with the names of their guesses who they feel might be the singer Disney hinted.

 

A Facebook user wrote that she “feels” it’s Sarah Geromino, who is touted as the Philippines’ “Pop Princess.”

Another online user attempted to back the claim and said that Geronimo has sung a song for the Disney Princess franchise before.

“Also, she roleplayed Rapunzel as well. So siya ang may pinaka-close contact sa Disney and most likely na piliin,” the user added.

In 2014, Geronimo was chosen to reinterpret the theme song of its Princess franchise, “The Glow.” The song was originally used during the induction of Rapunzel as the 10th Disney Princess character.

Another Facebook user guessed that it might be KZ Tandingan who he claimed “fits” the “ethnic” feel of the upcoming movie.

A different Filipino commented that it might be Morissette Amon, who met Hollywood actor Will Smith and sang with a Disney composer in 2019.

These guesses was countered by a Facebook user who claimed that it’s Ylona Garcia, who recently joined American music collective 88Rising.

“It’s Ylona G! Wag na kayong umasa mga Fans ni Sarah, Mori at KZ! Sooner than you think daw! Pak!,” the comment reads. 

Others guessed it might be Zephanie Dimaranan, the 17-year-old first winner of singing competition “Idol Philippines.”

Another Facebook user shared a screengrab of an article that reported on Philippine-born artist Camille Cabaltera being “chosen” to sing for “Raya e l’Ultimo Drago,” which is Italian for “Raya and The Last Dragon.”

Cabaltera and her family moved to Italy when she was 8 years old, based on her Spotify profile.

She became part of “X Factor’s” 11th season, a talent show in Italy, and has released a single under Sony Music Italy.

“Raya and The Last Dragon” tells the story of the title character embarking on a mission to restore peace in their world fraught with tension and void of dragons who used to co-exist with them.

The story’s fictional setting blends elements from cultures of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Raya is Disney’s first Southeast Asian heroine.